Belonging and equity are at the heart of what the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust does. We support young people living through and beyond cancer, to inspire them to believe in a brighter future through (re)finding acceptance, independence, and optimism.
We do this by aiming to create a psychologically safe environment and community that welcomes and celebrates everyone being their authentic self. To achieve real belonging, we must take an intentional and proactive approach to creating a discrimination-free environment.
Racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, xenophobia, sexism, and other forms of identity-based discrimination are society-wide problems we are actively trying to dismantle. They are harmful and can be detrimental to our aims and the experience we seek to create for everyone in our community
Everyone – whether they are working with us, for us, or participating in one of our activities - should expect belonging as standard.
"We must reflect and be relevant in today’s diverse world so every young person who has had cancer believes the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is open to them and they can be their authentic self with us. We recognise how inequalities created by cancer and identity lead to discrimination, and need to ensure our values, culture and behaviours celebrate difference and create a place where everyone feels they belong."
This commitment is underlined in our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion And Belonging (EDIB) Policy and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Plan - 2023-2026.
Sometimes we have experiences we can’t be sure is racism or identity-based discrimination, we just know something doesn't feel right or good.
Our Racism And Identity Discrimination - Reporting Process sets out the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s commitment to ensuring anyone who engages with us is treated with respect and dignity, irrespective of who they are and what protected characteristics they have.
The process outlines our approach to addressing issues of racism and other identity-based discrimination, so anyone working with or being supported by us has clarity on the steps to take to get support when they need it.
It applies whether someone has personally experienced discrimination themselves or has seen discrimination towards another person. It also serves as a guide to everyone working as part of our charity on our stance on these issues, and the practical steps to take in the instance of unacceptable practices and behaviours.
The process covers...
We can only improve things if people tell us when things don’t feel right to them, so it’s really important anyone experiencing an issue feels able to share it with us.
There are a number a ways anyone can report any racism or identity-based discrimination they have experienced or witnessed while with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, as well anything else that just doesn't feel right. Our process aims to be safe and supportive by focusing on the impact on you or someone else, rather than the intention of the person who said or did the thing being shared with us.
We are committed to tracking and measuring incidents and the experiences of anyone reporting they have felt excluded and/or they didn't belong. These are reviewed by our Leadership team and shared with our Trustee Board.
If you would like any more detail about how we deal with racism and identity discrimination please contact [email protected]
Frank Fletcher
Chief Executive
Other useful information
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